S&H In 8, S&H Trig 9, and S&H Out 10 are a set of sampling and holding circuits. S&H In 8 inputs the signal that needs to be sampled,S&H Trig 9 inputs the Trig signal that samples the input of S&H In 8, and the sampling result is held until the next Trig signal triggers a new sampling, and the result is output at S&H Out 10. When S&H In 8 is not plugged in, the Trig signal of S&H Trig 9 samples the Noise Out of 2, resulting in a nearly random sampling result. The sampling-hold function can be triggered by pressing button 5 when the S&H Trig 9 has no insertion line.
Noise Trig & Noise Out
Noise Trig 1 and Noise Out 2 are part of the Noise generator, which continuously outputs a Noise without any input, which is the result of the sound amplified many times after the breakdown of the Zener tube. If a wire is inserted into the Noise Trig jack, the Zener tube will stop the breakdown state. At this time, give a signal, which can be Trig, square wave or any other signal, only if it is higher than 3.3v, it will again break through the Zener tube, constantly reciprocating, changing the output effect of the Noise Out.
Offset Out
Knob 3 changes the output voltage value of Ofset Out 4, when the button is pressed 5.Ofset Out 4 will output voltage according to the position of the knob, release the button, and the output is terminated.
Aux in & out
Aux In 6 and Aux Out 7 are a set of envelope non-tunable Vcas triggered by button 5. Aux In6 can be an audio input or other signal input, press button 5,Aux In6 input will be output from Aux Out 7 after adding an envelope control. Noise Out2's noise output is added to AuxIn 6 when AuxIn 6 is not plugged in. This means that you can directly control the noise output in Aux Out 7 by pressing button 5."
"The latest release from @pittsburghmodular is a supersize version of their Taiga synthesiser. Based on three wavefolding/complex oscillators with multiple seed waves: Sine, Tri, Saw, Square plus blends they give you the backbone of a powerful synthesizer. The Taiga Keyboard adds a 3 octave velocity and aftertouch enabled keybed, wooden end cheeks, and a couple of modifications that make it a more tweakable instrument.
First up there’s an OSC fine tune knob for each - a small thing but makes it way quicker to get three oscillators tuned how you like. Also the function generator which is an assignable digital affair with a single CV out has easier to access settings - all linked to the Mod Wheel and buttons - the 5V output, Tri LFO, Decay Envelope and Random (you can choose one at a time) are all set by the depth of the mod wheel, and with shift functions, press and hold the assign button to access clock division (LFO and Random) and decay length (Envelope).
With more room to stroll around the front panel, it makes general operation a lot more intuitive. The other Big addition, is the inclusion of a 24HP module bay, remove the screws from the plate and there’s power for three modules - we put the Mutable Clouds in ours - just to add more processing to the overall sound, but you can choose whatever you want as long as it's not too deep - Disting requires a couple of spacers under the fixing bolts to fit in the provided depth.
Aside from these additions, there’s no functional difference between this and the Taiga module except cost, with the Taiga Keyboard at $1299/£1150 and the Taiga Module at around $800/£650.
Personally I found he extra size does make more sense of this instrument for performing and working on sounds. We would like to have seen a legato envelope mode, currently every note triggers the envelope, not something you can fix with an extra module, and a couple of the knobs response are quite sensitive - notably envelope release is somewhat on even with a small adjustment at the start of it's travel, ditto FM depth for the oscillators. However this is consistent across both Taiga models.
However, like the original Taiga having the blend of complex West Coast style Oscillators, a multimode filter AND a resonant Low Pass Gate really gives a wide palette of sounds fore the curious synthesist.
If you just want a taste of that there’s also the West Pest from Cre8Audio - which while a much less capable instrument will give you more of a West Coast vibe to explore.
"First play with the new SonicCharge weirdness. Oh, yes."
"Synplant takes a genetic twist on sound design by moving beyond traditional knob-twisting and dial-adjusting, emphasizing exploration and discovery. Here, your ears guide you through a forest of organic textures and evolving timbres.
Genopatch Technology
Genopatch crafts synth patches from audio recordings, using AI to find optimal synth settings based on your source sample. As the strands in the user interface sprout and grow, they generate patches that increasingly match the chosen audio.
Sometimes, you will get a perfect match; other times, something new and unexpected. This balance of precision and unpredictability makes Genopatch a unique tool for sound exploration.
Genopatch runs entirely on your local computer, requiring no internet connection.
Digging into the Genome
Whether you begin from a random seed, an existing patch, or a creation from Genopatch, Synplant offers many different ways to sculpt your sound. When you are ready to delve further into the core of your patch, you can crack open your sound seeds and modify their underlying genetic code.
The new intuitive DNA Editor in Synplant 2 offers a structured layout with graphical representations for settings like envelopes, oscillator types, and filters.
Performance Features
Synplant makes it easy to create organic, multi-faceted synth patches by letting you play variations of a sound using different MIDI notes and velocities. It also offers a layer mode for creating rich, multi-dimensional sounds. There are polyphonic and monophonic play modes with portamento, tempo sync and more, further contributing to deep and versatile synth patches that are a joy to play.
Making your own sounds in Synplant is easy as a breeze, but it also comes bundled with hundreds of well-designed patches, and more are available to download when you purchase."
"At NAMM 2023, Sonic State caught up with Dave Rossum, the founder of Sound Semiconductor, to discuss the company's exciting developments. Sound Semiconductor is a development from SSM, a company that designed synthesizer chips for the first Prophets in the early 1970s. SSM went on to produce chips for professional audio and was later acquired by Analog Devices. In 2016, Rossum, along with Marco Alpert and a little bit of seed capital from Universal Audio, started Rossum Electro Music. At NAMM, they met Dan Parks, who used to run SSM, and talked about the idea of resurrecting the classic SSM chips. Six months later, they started Sound Semiconductor, which includes some resurrections of the classic SSM chips and some new ideas.
Rossum explained that the analog chips give instruments their own unique character, which digital processing cannot achieve. Analog chips have variations from unit to unit, and the designer's job is to make those variations as small as possible while allowing those variations to give instruments their own individual character. Analog distortions are also natural, making them more appealing to the ears than digital algorithms that give aliasing, and Dave told us he finds designing analog chips to be more artistic and enjoyable than designing digital ones.
"This is a lively Sunday morning jaunt with my newly acquired Beads... which, as silly as this may be, is offscreen in this video.
I know, lame.
Hear me out! The Mutable Beads is currently kicking the crap out of me. I have no idea of it's capabilities. It's all hunt and peck at this point. In one of those experiments, i noticed by putting a metric rhythm patch through it and syncing the Seed input with the same clock that's driving the patch that it would, magically, double the frequency of whatever it's processing.
This immediately reminded me of a certain passage Mort Subotnick is famous for, so i ginned up a quicky sonic xerox. This all came about after i produced a demo of what 'real' lowpass gates can do, which hearkened back my percussive motif fetish that dominated my piece The Secret Life of Semiconductors (search 'Peter Grenader Secret Life" on apple music or bandcamp if curious).
Everything you hear is being gated through vactrol-based LPGs, namely the Plan B Model 13 Timbral Gate. The first voice is from a Flame 4 Vox in which i cycle through a few of it's wavetables. The second voice is it's manifestation via the Mutable Beads in which i am controlling the wet/dry mix via Plan B Model 24 wiggly random voltage. The third voice is via a Plan B Model 15 which is getting it's pacing from Malekko Varigate 4.
Panning courtesy of an EAR Model 7 Panner, driven by a second wiggly random via a second Plan B Model 24
The first and third voices are being driven by two Plan B Model 10 EGs to both open the LPG and thwap the VCO frequencies.
As i sidenote, i think Apple finally chased all the demons out of iMovie. It does not piss me off anywhere near as much now.
1. Mutable Instruments Beads - exploration and tutorial by Tom Leclerc
2. Mutable Instruments Beads (no input) by Robin Rimbaud-Scanner
First play with the Mutable Instruments Beads texture synthesiser. And here's
a wonderful surprise - if you leave both audio inputs unpatched, then after 10
seconds it begins to granulise a collection of stored raw waveforms taken from
Mutable Instruments Plaits wavetable module. So here's a piece using Beads as
the lead voice on this cinematic piece, with no other inputs. I added other
instruments afterwards for rhythm and bass, and the singular pulse that holds
throughout is from the Make Noise Mysteron. This is just an idea to show Beads
in a very musical context
3. Heidi Concrète (featuring Mutable Instruments Beads) by Robin Rimbaud-Scanner
An experimental piece using Mutable Instruments Beads, the texture
synthesiser, processing an audio file. No addition effects or processing were
used. This is simply a live exploration of a single audio file with Beads. The
original voice introduces and closes the piece so you can compare the two
sonic worlds before and after Beads. The voice is taken from a scanned phone
call in the early 1990s that features on my Delivery (1997) album.
4. A Little Beat with Mutable Instruments Beads (Wavetable Mode) by midcentury
modular
This is Beads running in the internal wavetable mode (and a kick drum from
plaits). I've got a gate going into freeze that acts as a mute when the kick
comes in (sort-of side-chain like), and I'm also manually pressing it to mute
and sustain the random sequence.
The pitches are not from an external cv source but generated internally with
the peaky random distribution into the time knob. The pitch changes with this
parameter seem to be somewhat harmonically related (though I'm not sure what
specific scale) to the root set by the pitch parameter.
5. Overdriven Ambient Looping with Mutable Instruments Beads by midcentury
modular
This video is some improvised choir sounds (from the Ableton Operator synth,
played with a midi keyboard) ran into Mutable Instruments Beads in the
delay/looper mode (with "sunny tape quality") Throughout, I add to the buffer
by tapping out of freeze mode and back in. When the feedback is up, things
stick around, so you can progressively add more and build up the buffer. I'm
also experimenting with overdriving the input (by turning up the audio level
going into beads from ableton with the top left 1U knob)
6. Mutable Instruments Beads (Scorched Cassette Mode) and Ciat-Lonbarde
Plumbutter Deerhorn by midcentury modular
This patch is my attempt at using Beads to add some Cocoquantus-like magic to
the Deerhorn. I think the downsampling, lower-bitrate and whatever other DSP
tricks are happening in the Scorched Cassette mode are crerating a somewhat
similar vibe to the 8-bit dolby loopers in the Coco, and I think this adds
some really nice fizzy textures to the warm, raw-oscillator tone of the
Deerhorn). Beads is also pitching down the two tones from Deerhorn to add a
bit more melodic content.
There is some very subtle modulation coming from the orange out on Deerhorn,
but it's not really doing a ton and could probably be left out and you
wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference. There is some audio-rate
modulation coming out of one of the white deerhorn outputs into the density
input, which is modulating some of the AM stuff going on when density is high
towards the end of the track.
No idea why the snapping gesture with the density knob caused the "knock on
wood" sound, but I think it was a pretty cool accident!
7. Noisy Experimenting with Mutable Instrument Beads, Blades Ripples and Plaits
This patch (at least as much as I remember it...been a while since I made
this) is Beads and Blades in a sort-of feedback loop. Blades is over-driven
and self-oscillating, and the outs are sent to control seed and freeze on
Beads (which is using the internal wavetable generator as audio input). After
trying out various ones, I found these two control inputs on Beads the most
interesting with audio rate signals. The outs of Beads are going into the
audio inputs of blades. Both modules outs are multed out and into veils which
is acting as a stereo mixer. Ripples (which is getting some noise into its
cutoff modulation input from Plaits) is providing some audio rate modulation
to some of the Veils channels.
"Beads is a reinvention of Mutable Instruments’ Clouds.
The concept is the same, live granular processing of an incoming audio signal, and the labels on the panel remain familiar.
The similarities stop here. The hardware and software have been redesigned from the ground up, with several goals in mind: a crisper and broader sound palette, more control, better playability, and direct access to exciting new features.
DOTTING THE I’S AND CROSSING THE T’S
Beads’ vastly improved specifications allow a higher audio quality, a longer buffer, the use of better interpolation and anti-aliasing algorithms, and key DSP blocks to run at a faster rate. Granular processing can now go to new territories, such as formants, wavetables, hard-sync-like sounds, or crispy noise.
The range of parameters, their response to the turn of a knob or a CV modulation have all been refined, for new possibilities such as reverse playback or percussive envelopes.
CONTROL, CHAOS AND CHARACTER
Control. To trigger or schedule grains, Beads provides new features to divide or randomize an external clock or trigger stream, spray bursts of grains in response to a gate, or get the grain rate to track a V/O CV or the frequency of an external oscillator.
Chaos. Each key parameter of a grain comes with its own attenurandomizer, which allows direct CV control, CV control of the randomization (spread) of this parameter, or internal randomization using some of Marbles’ algorithms.
Character. Beads provides four audio quality settings, which go well beyond buffer sample rate and bit-depth: they affect the clock of the converters, the amplitude limiting and saturation of the signal path, the tone of the reverb, and additional media-emulation effects. From a pristine digital device to a dirty cassette, through a mode reproducing some of Clouds’ characteristics.
MODES?
Beads can operate as a delay without the need to switch to a different mode: just ask it to play a never-ending grain. Its DENSITY, TIME and SEED controls are repurposed to allow various features such as tap-tempo, beat slicing, time-stretching, or comb-filtering at rates tracking V/O.
Without any audio input, Beads will granularize 8 internal banks of wavetables.
You might remember when Noise Engineering's Desmodus Versio reverb module was announced back in August, there was this little included note: "Desmodus Versio isn’t just a reverb, though: it’s a DSP platform. Its firmware can be changed via USB, so it can be transformed into a completely different effect with new firmwares coming late 2020. Are you programming savvy? Open-source support will be released later this year."
"In August 2020, we released the Desmodus Versio, Noise Engineering’s reverb. Maybe you heard about it. We were pretty excited about a lot of things about it:
It’s a pretty kick-ass reverb.
It’s a DSP platform that users can update via USB, so we could create lots of alt firmwares for people (more on that soon. Very soon.).
It’s based on an open platform, so from the beginning, we knew we wanted to open it up so people could create their own firmwares too.
So we asked the software engineers at NE to help us less programming savvy folks talk about how this works.
First thing to note: writing custom firmware requires basic understanding of the C / C++ programming language. If you are not proficient in C / C++, there are plenty of resources or even other modular platforms to get started on!
Ok, onward.
UNDER THE HOOD - DAISY!
If you look at the back of your Versio module, you should see a mounted yellow board with a micro-USB port. This is the Daisy Seed, an embedded audio platform created by Electrosmith. It is the main processing unit on the Versio hardware, i.e., where programs are downloaded, or 'flashed.'
We opted for the Daisy platform for a lot of reasons, but the biggest was that it would be the best customer experience. At the time that the Daisy Seed became a contender for us, we had been developing, in parallel, a similar board (called George). Moving to the Daisy Seed board allowed us to speed development, decrease cost for our users, and take advantage of the large (and growing) community behind the Daisy ecosystem
Daisy is powerful and handles stereo in/stereo out with ease with up to 24-bit, 192 kHz audio processing, 64 MB SDRAM, and 8 MB of flash memory. Got an idea that you want in Eurorack? If any embedded processor can handle it, it’s probably this one."
Click here for additional details on Noise Engineering website.
The following is a demo by Cinematic Laboratory of the Ampla Versio, an 'all in one' VCA, VCFA, ADSR with chorus running on the Desmodus Versio.
The Bat Verb | Part 04 | Ampla Versio firmware | Desmodus Versio
Here is the full playlist:
The Bat Verb | Noise Engineering Desmodus Versio videos by Cinematic Laboratory
Cinematic Laboratory
1. The Bat Verb | Part 01 | Noise Engineering Desmodus Versio
I am always curious when Noise Engineering comes with something new and they never disappoint. I love reverbs. I am lucky to have the Erbe-Verb, Milky Way, Z-DSP, Clouds and ZVERB but I was pretty confident the Desmodus (Vampire Bat) Versio (Versatile) would add something new to my collection. And it did. This is just a first-patch so there will be a part 2 soon. Trust me, this video is only scratching the surface.
Note:
I wrote that the DV doesn't have a High Pass filter but that's not true. It has a filter that is neutral at 12:00 and becomes high pass CW and low pass CCW. What I mean it doesn't have a filter that makes sure the very low frequencies (below 80Hz) aren't 'reverberated' (high pass) which can go totally out of control and drives the module above the digital 0dB brick wall. Digital distortion is not pretty and you should be aware of it before going live. I also need to add that it happened only once during the making of this video. Just remember that infinite reverb and ultra low frequencies can cause serious trouble that goes way beyond 'mud'.
2. The Bat Verb | Part 02 | Noise Engineering Desmodus Versio
Desmodus Versio is a reverb - with a built in delay and distortion - and lots of other cool ways to turn your room upside down and fold a cathedral. DV's first batch had a little bug (I totally missed it), but NE's been working around the clock to create a fix and roll out the 'flash your DV' website. This also shows us how easy it is to install new firmware or future applications (which are coming soon). I am not sure, but I think the code will be open source so we can write our own reverbs and FX. I'll definitely dive into that when more info is available.
3. The Bat Verb | Part 03 | Desmodus Versio + Lyra-8
I had this idea of running the Lyra-8 through the Desmodus Versio and see what would happen. Then I realized it helped me (a lot!) to tune the Lyra-8 while playing live. So this video showcases the 'beyond infinity' setting on the 'regenerate' knob, where the reverb trail just plays on forever - but you can still hear a bed of the notes you've played - and add more. It can get pretty magical.
4. The Bat Verb | Part 04 | Ampla Versio firmware | Desmodus Versio
Noise Engineering promised to bring new firmware / applications to the Desmodus Versio reverb. Because it's not a reverb, it's a platform. This means you can completely change the application inside the module. Today NE released Ampla Versio, an 'all in one' VCA, VCFA, ADSR with chorus. In stereo. And this one is a worthy addition to the 'never too many' VCA's.
5. The Bat Verb | Part 05 | Imitor Versio firmware
"Noise Engineering has just released a new firmware for the Desmodus Versio, the 'versatile imitator'. It's a twelve tap delay with tempo sync, delay timing skew, circular stereo panning, distortion, tralis that rise and fall, shimmer and harmonically related pitch shifting. POB has done an excellent walkthrough on all features (see link in video), so I'll just focus on how it sounds in various patches. the IV is also available as a dedicated module with its own faceplate, and faceplates can be ordered for your DV if you're planning on permanent use.
Please note the IV is a delay that's designed to be discovered so make sure to spend some time with it. I noticed it features a lot of sonic textures which are also found on some of the best delays around. So this one may be the droid you've been looking for in just 10 HP. Highly recommended!"
"Spitfire Audio adds another ‘off-grid’ twist to evolving, EMS VCS3-inspired VIs for its Producer Portfolio
LONDON, UK: Spitfire Audio, purveyors of the finest virtual instruments from the finest musical samples in the world, is proud to announce availability of PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS, the latest creative chapter in its evocatively-named, evolving EVO GRID series of ‘off-grid’ sample-based virtual instruments initially inspired by the trailblazing late-Sixties-vintage EMS VCS3 portable analogue monosynth and perfectly executed for the Native Instruments KONTAKT platform-compatible Producer Portfolio range — itself launched to satisfy repeated requests for drier-sounding, more manipulative samples for more non-orchestral material, as of September 18…
Following on from the success of Spitfire Audio’s prototypical PP017 EVO GRID 001 STRINGS and its phenomenal PP020 EVO GRID 002 STRINGS followup, as implied by name, PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS takes the so-called ‘Evo’ concept from its inception in strings into the wonderful world of woodwinds. What is an Evo, exactly? Evos are hyper-long, sample-based articulations that evolve — sometimes subtly, sometimes severely — over time before looping. These are then organised on a grid so users can plot which evolution or ‘Evo’ sits on which key range, resulting in a GUI (Graphical User Interface) inspired by the breakthrough British EMS VCS3, which made musical history upon its introduction in 1969 by being the first commercially portable synthesiser available anywhere in the world, thanks to its innovative modular matrix-based patchboard dispensing with the telephone exchange-like cabling of other (much larger) modular systems in favour of making space-saving connections with (removable) coloured pins.
PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS heads on a similarly flexible sonic bearing, but within the computer-hosted context of a truly 21st Century sample-based virtual instrument fit for ‘off-grid’ minimal musical explorations. Employing some of the UK’s finest, most progressive, and avant-garde woodwind players performing beautifully-orchestrated long notes that increase in intensity and expression, evolving into out-of-this world soundscapes, this eclectic collection of woodwind evolutions designed by Ben Foskett foster an exceptional edge to anyone’s musical endeavours. Returning to record at the ultra-dry, yet warm-sounding surroundings of Central London’s Air-Edel Recording Studios using the finest vintage microphones, Neve preamps, and the last Cadac studio console ever built, ‘Foskett & Co.’ set about creating a product that oozes originality and positively provides inspiration to all that use it. The result? 3,312 superlative samples — some 18.5GB of uncompressed .WAV files — that do just that by doing things with woodwinds that are totally unexpected, yet uniquely musical in execution.
At Air-Edel Recording Studios two subtly different performing lineups — Band A comprising FLUTE (3), ALTO FLUTE (1), BASS FLUTE (1), CONTRA BASS FLUTE (1), Bb CLARINET (3), and Bb BASS CLARINET (3); Band B comprising OBOE (3), COR ANGLAIS (2), Bb CLARINET (2), Bb BASS CLARINET (1), Bb BASS CLARINET (1), BARITONE SAX (1), and BASSOON (3) — led Spitfire Audio to ultimately provide PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS users with a nuanced selection of sounds. Some are more reedy-sounding, others more flutey. This time the resultant Evo count stands at a healthy 48 spread across 12 pitch regions — including an additional five grids of wonderfully-warped, saturated, and totally transformed versions of each and every Evo — resulting in an almost infinite number of possibilities. Pressing the save button is important… all the more so given the many randomisation options that are also provided!
Fortunately for (potential) PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS purchasers, Spitfire Audio has helpfully seen fit to carefully curate those extraordinary Evos into a number of spring-right-out-of-the-box-style patches — from seemingly-simple tutti-type affairs, featuring all Evos evenly spread across the keyboard, through to various diagonal patterns, as well as a handy feature for randomly creating pinned patterns from the near-infinite number of configuration possibilities — perfectly demonstrating not only the tense and extreme elements of the library but also the effortlessly-engaging ‘episodic’ Evos! Easily-accessible front panel-positioned FX controls (for Reverb, Delay, and Tape Sat.) help make this into a tool truly designed for producers — hence the Producer Portfolio range association, as well as composers, editors, and sound designers alike. Anyone needing a spellbinding solution from the moment they touch the keyboard, in other words! Like the self-explanatory SIMPLE TENSE SCARY subtitling of the PP017 EVO GRID 001 STRINGS and TRADITIONAL EPISODIC EXTREME subtitling of PP020 EVO GRID 002 STRINGS before it, PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS can be as time-saving as the trailblazing EMS VCS3 was once space-saving.
Saying that, PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS perfectly compliments that recently-released PP017 EVO GRID 001 STRINGS sample-based virtual instrument — an extraordinary collection of long, evolving chamber strings orchestrated by Ben Foskett before being given Spitfire Audio’s adventurous Evo treatment — and its PP020 EVO GRID 002 STRINGS sibling. Says Spitfire Audio Director Paul Thomson: “We’ve got a collection of incredible players here — very progressive, avant-garde wind players, playing beautifully-orchestrated long notes from Ben Foskett that evolve with increases in intensity and expression and different techniques to give you a really beautiful series of long, evolving tones that you can use to work with in a similar way to the STRINGS EVO GRID releases. The EVO GRID GUI is the same as before, so you’ll recognise all of the controls. There are lots and lots of possibilities — millions of possibilities, in fact, so it’s a really creative tool. We’re very proud of it. It’s very different from the strings evolutions that we’ve put out so far, but it’s very, very useful.”
Indeed it is. In this day and age of delivering more musical content against a backdrop of diminishing deadlines and budgetary constraints, composers are often asked to engage the listener by doing very little — least of all changing notes, all those EVO GRID releases represent Spitfire Audio’s masterplan for providing them with a solution to this taxing conundrum. Just ask award-winning composer — and fellow Spitfire Audio Director Christian Henson. Commissioned to write 13 hours of music for a sprawling, epic TV series, but with no budget for orchestra and only three months in which to do it, a quick string sampling session subsequently ensued, during which he fortuitously recorded a series of greatly differing long strings evolutions. Staggered by the resulting sample instrument, where the chaotic nature of different evolutions placed over different intervals made for exciting and unexpected results, he semi-seriously stated, “I could literally hit a big C minor chord, hold my sustain pedal down, reach for my sandwich, and the thing would still be writing itself a minute later while I was wiping mayo off my beard!” From the smallest seed… and all that jazz.
PP025 EVO GRID 004 WOODWINDS and its PP017 EVO GRID 001 STRINGS and PP020 EVO GRID 002 STRINGS sample-based virtual instrument siblings can be purchased and downloaded directly from Spitfire Audio for £179.00 GBP (subject to VAT within the EU) from here:
http://www.spitfireaudio.com/products-page (Note that Spitfire Audio’s free Download Manager application for Mac or PC allows you to buy now and download anytime while a full version of Native Instruments KONTAKT 5 is needed to run these Producer Portfolio products.)
"Sample Logic morphs and mutilates best Balinese gamelan instruments into VI fit for a new world
NEW YORK, USA: award-winning sample library company Sample Logic is proud to announce (upcoming) availability of GAMELAN — the latest in a lengthening line of superlative sample-based virtual instruments powered by Native Instruments’ industry-standard KONTAKT PLAYER platform, this time morphing and mutilating 25 world-class Balinese gamelan instruments to create a stunning selection of inspirational cinematic-quality atmospheres, melodic instruments, thundering percussive impacts, and twisted loops — as of September 1…
GAMELAN is where world instruments meet hybrid synthesis. Achieving this is easier said than done, though that is exactly what the talented team at Sample Logic has achieved with relative ease… well, with a little help from their friends. Recorded on the celebrated scoring stage at Skywalker Sound in Marin County, California, GAMELAN features over 1,700 world-class traditional and morphed gamelan instruments which will surely blow the creative minds of sound designers, composers, musicians, and producers alike. No fewer than 25 instrumental (Grantang, Jegogan, Jublag, Kajar, Kantilan, Kempli, Pemade, Penyacah, Reyong, Suling, Trompong, and Ugal) and percussive (Cedugan Wadon, Cedugan, Ceng Ceng, Gentorag Chime, Gong, Gupekan Wadon, Gupekan, Kempur, Klentong, Krumpungan Wadon, Krumpungan, Rebab, and Vocalese) Balinese instruments were recorded there in 24-bit/88.2kHz, then morphed and mutilated to craft the highly-creative content for GAMELAN.
GAMELAN welcomely weighs in at over 14GB as a result. As such, it features a diverse library of 1,700 KONTAKT PLAYER-compatible patches, perfectly divided into the following categories: 421 ATMOSPHERES (58 BIZARRE, 97 DARK - MYSTERIOUS, 71 ELECTRONIC - EFFECTUAL, 87 MIXED EMOTIONS, 28 STINGERS, and 79 WORLD ORGANIC); 316 INSTRUMENTALS (55 ARPEGGIATED, 104 WORLD ORGANIC, 74 SYNTH, and 82 TRADITIONAL); 332 LOOPS (84 ACTION PACKED, 120 ELECTRONIC - EFFECTUAL, 51 POP HOP, 56 WORLD ORGANIC); 368 PERCUSSIVES (31 ARPEGGIATED, 11 HIT ENSEMBLES, 266 IMPACTS, 17 TRADITIONAL, and 42 TRANSITIONS); and 260 MULTI CORES (34 ATMOSPHERES, 71 INSTRUMENTALS, 53 LOOPS, and 47 PERCUSSIVES). Explore unlimited possibilities within GAMELAN by combining those ATMOSPHERES, INSTRUMENTALS, LOOPS, and PERCUSSIVES within a single, easy-to-use interface. Moreover, mix up to eight ‘Soundsources’ while retaining nuanced control over each sound to create massive ambiences, crushing impacts, complex loops, soaring leads, or even stacked multis with all of the above triggered by a single note! Alternatively, why not simply use one of the thousands of included preset instruments for instant inspiration?
"Analog synthesizer with 8 steps analog sequencer, midi syncable.
Let's make some serious noise!!!
this machine is great for live performance and improvisation for creating insane effect loops, acid basslines or crazy random rhythms.
Make noise - experimental music, change the sound in real time by tweeking the knobs on stage or in studio. Connect it to your favorite effects (delay, flange, etc, etc)and create a wide sort of rhytm textures and soundscapes.
Sync it to any midi device like a drumbox midi sequencer or computer and play live.
or create random sonic sequences and blow minds with this beautiful lighted analog sequencer synth box!!!.
Specifications
This synth features one analog square and saw waveform VCO (voltage controled oscillator) with a huge pitch range, from subsonic to ultrasonic sound.
Glide effect with a large range for radical portamento effect.
One square and triangle waveform LFO (low frequency oscillator), that modulates the VCO for the vibrato effect or the VCF for a tremolo effect, creating old school arcade Atari-like sounds.
White noise generator that triggers the VCO and can create percussion like sounds, or mix the the noise with the VCO.
Also, it has a built in vactrol based Low Pass and High Pass Filter with cut off and peak controls and a envelope generator with decay control to create a wide sort of timbres and sound possibilities.
Built in 8 step sequencer with global gate time control, note on/off switch and pitch knob for each step.
The built in sequencer also has 8 playing modes and 4 gate arpegiator modes:
Oscillator mode, the Mochika becomes a drone oscillator, you can switch in real time between the 8 notes tweaking a knob.
4 step, 6 step, and 8 step sequencer mode.
4 step, 6 step, and 8 step forth and back sequence mode.
Random mode, it generates a large pseudo random sequence, seed of chaos!!!
Gate Arpegiator with 4 patterns, you can switch in real time between the 8 notes tweaking a knob. and sync it by midi
The Mochika XL features a MIDI input to sync it any midi device sending midi clock signals, the mochika can sync 1, 2, 4 and up to 8 times the tempo of the master clock midi device.
All the Mochika sequencer modes, except oscillator mode, can be midi synchronized.
Also the instrument is ligthed with 1 bright red led that indicates the LFO Rate, and 8 red leds to indicate the step that is being played. Very useful when you play it on a dark stage.
The Analog Sequencer is packed in a cool laser cut clear acrilic case that shows all the hand made analog circuitry.
The instrument features a switcher to select 110V or 220V mains power supply, so you can use it anywhere.
Dimensions: 177mm (W), 205mm (D), 80mm (H. incuded rubber feet and knobs)"
"Synplant is a software synthesizer with a genetic approach to sound creation. Instead of creating patches the conventional way by turning dials and knobs, Synplant lets you explore a world of organic sounds by planting seeds that grow into synth patches. The purpose of this product is to move focus away from the sometimes intricate and difficult process of sound synthesis and instead let you develop sounds by simply using your ears.
You will find that creating synth patches with Synplant will be as easy as listening and deciding what you like and then having the sounds evolve in the directions you desire. Although Synplant is exceedingly easy to use, whatever you do, do not let its relative simplicity fool you. Beneath its straightforward and playful interface you will find a versatile synthesizer of the utmost quality with lots of character. Also, once you are ready to get your hands dirty and dig deeper into the anatomy of Synplant you will have the option to crack open your sound seeds and modify their underlying genetic code."
Update via brian c in the comments: "I was fortunate to be beta tester over the last couple of months. This is one of my favorites, not just for the interesting user interface but because the sounds are also way better than average IMHO for a soft synth The BEST way to hear it is to go to the Synplant page and click the "Hear It" radio icon. That is a collection of the best of the best beta testers.
The stretchy plant interface is really cool, you get over 400 base patches with the product which you can load and then tweek visually until you like the sound and when you've got it where you want it you just "plant" that seed, saving it if you want to keep it. The new seed becomes the base for further evolution. You use your ears to make the patch , not by remembering which dial to tweek. I have to say it's unusual, but it draws you in quicker than think.
You should also download the demo to see the double helix coiled DNA view of patch parameters, it gives access to the patch for those who want to precisely tweek the sound the traditional way, and then you realize it might , i.e. if you are really anal it's all there one parameter at a time.
Now GMO can stand for genetically modified oscillators"
